Automobile bumper



June 22 1926.

J. PALMER AUTOMOBILE BUMPER Filed July 14 1,925

4 mvENToR JOHN PALMER RNEY om o. w m f llllllllll .WWUM/ Patent@ .lune 22, 1926.

STATES l E, i

JOHN PALMER, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F y@kwal-,HALF TO JOSEPH E. HUNTSMAN, CF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO CLARENCE J7. WILLIAMS, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CADIFORNIA.

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER.

Application le'd Julyll, 1925.` Serial No. 43,437.

The present inventionrelates to improvements in automobile bumpers, and more particularly to improved means adapted for hinged attachment in such manner to the extremities of the impact bars thereof that said hinged means may be swung forwardly in a substantially .horizontal plane, relative to the impact bars, to permit the ready release of any object that may have become interlocked `with said means, said hinged means being adapted to be held in normal position by means of coil, or other, springsvand of a character, when in normal position, to presenta substantially rigid frontior the reception of rontally received thrusts and impacts.`

It is quite obvious that a bumper constructed in accordance with the principles embodied in this invention will, in a great measure, overcome the diliculties' encountered by motorists in disengaging cars, following collisions ot front or rearend character, due to interlocking of bumpers and fenders, as the hinged arrangement of the bumper extremities with the free forward swing, provide a ready aid to disentanglements of these members.

A. principal object of the invention is the revision et an automobile bumperbearing hinged extremities adapted to swing for wardly with respect to the impact bars thereof, to release ayny object that may have become entangled or interlocked therewith, and that will, when in normal position, present a substantially rigid front to -frontally received thrusts and impacts.

A further obfect is the provision of a bumper of a character incorporating all the desired resilienty and protect-ive qualities of the ordinary bumper, with the added automatically operative releasing feature.

An a ditional object is the provision of a bumper having hinged guards that are interchangeable and that may be readily replaced, when damaged.

Other objects and advantages w1ll appear with reference to the subjoined specification and one sheet ot drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a bumper constructed in accordance with my invention,'

the dot-and-dash position ot one of the l hinged guards indicating the limit of its forward swing for releasing an interlocked object' Figure 2 is a iront elevation thereof; Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional detail, showing the manner of hinged# ly securing one of Athe guards to the impact baiythe section being taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure l is a transverse section of one ot the hinge members, showing `the method of mounting the springs and hinge pintles, the view being taken on the line 4--4 of Figures 2 and-3; and

Figure 5 is a detail view of a slightly modified lEorm of guard adapted to be constructed of light steel-plate, or cast aluminum. f Referring in detail to the drawings, in which an embodiment of my invention has been shown, the impact bar is shown as constructed otn channel-iron bearing channeliron extremities hingedly secured thereto.'

Though thus shown,vit is to be understood that the impact element may be constituted ot a plurality of bars united, and that these may be o either channel-iron or dat springsteel, with hinged extremities, or guards, ot similar material, these vbeing largely matters of structural detail. f

The embodiment shown in thehdrawings comprises an ordinary impact bar l, constructed ot channel-iron having bifurcated" extremities 'forming hinge-ears 2 'and 3 positioned substantially in alignment-with the horns ofthe chassis, when installed upon an automobile, the impact bar being supported in the usual manner by means ot taspring members 4 and 5 attached at their ends 6 and means of sets of rivets 9 and 10, the sections ll and, 12 thereof bein securable to the horns 13 and 14 ot the c assis by means oi clamping brackets, or like elements, l5 and 16, the bracingsections thereot l? `andl being secured centrally out the impact bar-weh 8 by means of rivets 19 and 20,

The extremities, or guards, 21 and 22 are preferably curved, as shown, to tor-m guards for the 'trent wheels, and comprise members Iadapted tor hinged securement te the ears 7 to the rweb 8 of said bar bylOf - or the other,

2 and 3 of the impact bar, said members being provided with bosses 23 and 24 adapted to iit between said ears and bearing integrally formed lugs 25 and 26 adapted for engagement with the inner face of the web 8 of the impact bar, to form stops to limit the further rearward movement of the guards 21` and 22. The'bosses 23 and 24 are provided with concentrically positioned: openings 27 and 28, orming spring-housings adapted to receive torsion sprin s 29, the ends of which are secured to the linge-pintles and to the bosses 23 and 24, respectively, the said bosses being provided at their lower ends with concentiically positioned pintle-openings 30 communicatiiig with the spring-housings 27 and 28, said spring-housings being provided with discs 3l adapted to be fitted therein above the springs-29 and bearing the pintle-openings 32 positioned in alignment with the'openings 30, said openings being adapted for registration with the ear-openings 33 and 34 formed in the impact bar. Hinge-pintles 35 and 36 are inserted through the ear-o enings 33 and 34, these being provided wit squared sections 37 adjacent their heads, which fit the corresponding square openings 33 formed in the ears, `to prevent their turning with the bosses 23 and 24, the discs being keyed to the pintles by pins 3 8 to rovide a means for anchoring the up er en s ofthe springs 29 and 30 to bring t e required spring urge to bear upon the hinged members, thereby nolding said members in their normal positions with the lugs 25 and 26 bearing tightly against the inner face of the impact bar.

Iii the modified form shown in Figure 5, the guard 39 is preferably of cast aluminum, cored-out, as indicated at 40, and provided with an integrally formed boss 41 and 111g 42, similar in character to those previously described.

Obviouslyf, from the foregoing, if, in a collision, the um ers of the two cars become interlocked at their extremities, their release may be readily effected by a backing of one or both, cars, the interlocked O'uard of my construction swinging freely orward in aid of their diseiitanglement.

`Having thus described m invention, l claim, and desire to secure by etters Patent:

l. An automobile bumper comprising an impact section provided with bifurcated eX- tremities forming hinge-ears, end-guard sections having bosses forming spring housings adapted to fit between said bifurcated eX- tremities of said impact sections, hinge pintles extending through said ears and spring housings, torsion springs surrounding'said p intles and adapted to urge` said guard sections rearwardly, and means co-acting with said guard sect-ions in opposition to said spring urge, the said guard sections being free for forward swinging movement with respect to said impact section. 2. An automobile bumper comprising an. impact section `provided with bifurcated extremities forming hinge-ears, end-guard sections having bosses forming sprin housings adapted to be embraced by said ifurcated extremities of the impact sections, hinge pintles extending through said ears and spring housings, means for holdingA said pintles Vagainst turning movement, springs surrounding said pintles and adapted to urge said guard-sections rearwardly, and lugs formed integral with said spring housings and adapted to limit the rearward movement of said guard sections relative to said impacty section.

a 3. An automobile bumper comprising an impact section and end guard sections, said end guard sections having bosses bearing spring-housings and adapted for hinged connection to said impact section, spring means mounted in said housings and adapted foi' cofaction with said guard sections to urge said guard sections rearwardly to normal position, and stop means formed integrally with the said bosses and adapted to limit the rearward movement of said guard sections, said guard sections being free for for-l ward swinging movementto positions subtshtantially at right angles to said impact secion.

' In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

JOHN PALMER. 

